Sparrow Mart and the Amazon Effect

British artist Lucy Sparrow, built and fully stocked a supermarket created entirely out of felt. Over the course of a year she painted and hand-sewed 31,000 felt pieces to fill shelves with cans of Spam, Wonder Bread and Sapphire gin; fill vegetable bins with bok choy and grapefruits; and fully stock a sushi and butcher counter. The exhibit was open for the month of August at the Standard hotel in downtown Los Angeles where everything was for sale. Over the course of the month the exhibit continually evolved as visitors quickly emptied the shelves. Stepping into Sparrow Mart is like stepping into Lucy Sparrow’s imagination. Playful, quirky, and visionary.

Full story on New York Magazine.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Amazon impacts communities across the country with a network of regional fulfillment centers. The economic benefits ripple out from direct employees, to the surrounding community, which is the case for Audrey Reyes, owner of Beverly Banquets of Ontario, California. Her business has thrived since Amazon has expanded its operations in the Inland Empire, providing catering services for many Amazon events. Not without its challenges, Audrey once delivered 18,000 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. I worked with Jessey Dearing to tell this wonderfully inspiring story.

Full Story on the Amazon Blog.